I hadn't read the story yet after seeing the breaking news scroll during the Seattle game, more on this in a sec, but that is downright fucking hilarious. My immediate thought when it showed them on Hard Knocks and he said he met her on Twitter and that "if its someone you pause Call of Duty for, they're the one" was ya, this is going to end super well. Good to see it took less than a week to confirm that. And then he told the security guards he was going to go get arrested this weekend when he left camp for the weekend and he DID! Man, what a complete fucktard. Enjoy the CFL/USFL Chad since the Fins are probably cutting you now. Can not wait for this weeks Hard Knocks.

Are you sure you have the correct time frames? It seems hard to believe that Hard Knocks airs the things that happened in that previous week, that would be some monster editting on their part and would be very impressive. I figured it was being released on a much bigger delay than that. If not than Kudos to HBO they work fast.

No one person wins a super bowl by himself he still needs a team around him. I grew up watching the cowboys Aikman won 3 superbowls he wasn't a top 3 qb during that generation he just had an amazing team I can say the same about heafty for the steelers.

What? I won't start defending my guy Eli again, because it's been done to death and some people are just going to hate him. Aikman put up solid numbers, and did so in a much less pass friendly league. Yea, that team was loaded, but the man was a fantastic quarterback. The only reason you might say he wasn't top three was because he also happened to play at the same time as Elway, Favre, Marino, Kelley, and Young, among others.

Are you sure you have the correct time frames? It seems hard to believe that Hard Knocks airs the things that happened in that previous week, that would be some monster editting on their part and would be very impressive. I figured it was being released on a much bigger delay than that. If not than Kudos to HBO they work fast.

The first weeks it is a compilation of stuff over a good length of time. So ya that certainly happened prior to last week, especially with the Dolphins probably not being released for much freedom having a game this weekend and all lol. Like Derek Dennis who you saw at the beginning as he was cut, he was actually released July 26. It gets much closer to the actual time of events taking place starting in the second week iirc. It is still amazingly ironic though.

---------- Post added 2012-08-13 at 10:31 PM ----------

I have two observations from this game tonight:
1) This is the worst game of football I have watched, preseason or otherwise, on a performance and general interest level since th mud bowl in Pittsburgh a few years ago where they let like 10 teams play on their field the two days prior to the game then it rained and the field was ruined.
2) This game is fucking awful. When the most exciting play is Pryor holding the ball forever, running directly into the heap of bodies like an idiot, and then managing to get away and pick up a first down you know that this is a bad, bad game.

1) This is the worst game of football I have watched, preseason or otherwise, on a performance and general interest level since th mud bowl in Pittsburgh a few years ago where they let like 10 teams play on their field the two days prior to the game then it rained and the field was ruined.
2) This game is fucking awful. When the most exciting play is Pryor holding the ball forever, running directly into the heap of bodies like an idiot, and then managing to get away and pick up a first down you know that this is a bad, bad game.

I rarely refer to things as unwatchable, but that game was fucking unwatchable. At least the replacement refs weren't abysmal, so thats good right? Since they are going to be here until the third week or preseason, and according to some executives they don't expect the refs back until at least week 3 of the season if not later, this at least gives me hope that there is one almost okay crew among these refs.

Fuck the preseason. Its nothing but a money grab. The owners charge nearly full price for tickets to these games and then you get a 3-0 result like today. If this was Ravens/Steelers regular season defensive bloodbath 3-0 good, but this was no effort, no execution just awful football. I wish Goodell would have managed to go to 18 and 2 like he wanted to kill off these stupid games.

I rarely refer to things as unwatchable, but that game was fucking unwatchable. At least the replacement refs weren't abysmal, so thats good right? Since they are going to be here until the third week or preseason, and according to some executives they don't expect the refs back until at least week 3 of the season if not later, this at least gives me hope that there is one almost okay crew among these refs.

Fuck the preseason. Its nothing but a money grab. The owners charge nearly full price for tickets to these games and then you get a 3-0 result like today. If this was Ravens/Steelers regular season defensive bloodbath 3-0 good, but this was no effort, no execution just awful football. I wish Goodell would have managed to go to 18 and 2 like he wanted to kill off these stupid games.

Yeah that game was terrible. I started at the end of the first half though.

They better get their shit together with the refs. The worst part is the fact that none of them know how to announce penalties. Takes them forever to discuss it then they are like "uhh, holding... number uhhh... offense 5 yard penalty 2nd down"

I say preseason should be 2 games also. You only get starters for like, 1 quarter if you are lucky. Then its watching people that will never make the cut flop around like fish out of the water.

Yeah that game was terrible. I started at the end of the first half though.

They better get their shit together with the refs. The worst part is the fact that none of them know how to announce penalties. Takes them forever to discuss it then they are like "uhh, holding... number uhhh... offense 5 yard penalty 2nd down"

I say preseason should be 2 games also. You only get starters for like, 1 quarter if you are lucky. Then its watching people that will never make the cut flop around like fish out of the water.

What I don't get is how they can be so bad when every single one of them is a professional referee. They do this for a living at lower college level and a fair few of them have D1 experience. How can they be so incompetent on the announcing part when they have been doing it for years. If they brought these guys in off the street I could understand it, but this is their job and has been for years. How they can call touchbacks at the 5, mess up the teams repeatedly, etc. is just boggling.

What I don't get is how they can be so bad when every single one of them is a professional referee. They do this for a living at lower college level and a fair few of them have D1 experience. How can they be so incompetent on the announcing part when they have been doing it for years. If they brought these guys in off the street I could understand it, but this is their job and has been for years. How they can call touchbacks at the 5, mess up the teams repeatedly, etc. is just boggling.

Yeah it confuses me too. Not even knowing what teams you are reffing... come on.

In other news Seattle is starting Flynn and having Russel play the 2nd half again. This actually surprises me a lot. I figured T.Jack would play or Russel would start and Flynn finish off to see how Russel does with starters. Though its pretty obvious both these QB's out play T.Jack I can't help to feel a bit sorry for him. But that is the way of the NFL. I'm just glad we aren't in a situation like Skelton / Kolb.

Packers picked up Cedric Benson for a year. Too bad. I wanna see more John Kuhn.

If Benson can find his footing again, that offense could be even more amazing that it already is going to be. They have lacked a consistent runner the last two years. If Benson gives them that aspect, yikes.

So I have been a bit out of touch and busy, but would someone mind filling me in on why there are replacement refs? Did I miss something big or something?

The NFL locked out the regular refs. The deal between the refs and the NFL expired after last season and they are still unable to come to terms. The refs want the NFL to hire additional crews in order to allow them to have bye weeks and be able to sub in guys from the extra crews to fill in for refs deemed unsatisfactory. I'm sure they want higher pay, more money etc. also. So the NFL is dragging its heels and brought in replacement refs until the deal is in place.

I can not wait to get home tonight and watch Hard Knocks. Apparently Philbin released Johnson on camera and it was supposed to be awesome.

Jason Witten out rest of preseason possibly into season with an "internal injury" whatever that means.
Javhid Best for the Lions is likely going to start the season on the PUP list meaning he will miss six weeks at least. Fucking super.
Isaac Redman is having his groin MRI'd due to injury

Oh thanks Conscript! And that is totally ridiculous =/ Those demands don't sound that bad...

I think ESPN said it would be around $10 million out of their budget. Which isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things.

Originally Posted by conscript

Jason Witten out rest of preseason possibly into season with an "internal injury" whatever that means.
Javhid Best for the Lions is likely going to start the season on the PUP list meaning he will miss six weeks at least. Fucking super.
Isaac Redman is having his groin MRI'd due to injury